The Okanagan Valley is a major producer (among other things) of wine. There are 186 separate wineries; many of them have attached restaurants and small hotels or B and Bs, as well. So it’s entirely appropriate to see a sculpture such as this in one of Penticton’s parks!
A fun tribute to one of the Okanagan’s major sources of income.
As you can imagine, tourists visit the valley not only for the sun, beaches, hiking and sailing, but also for the wineries and restaurants. In the last 40 or so years, quite a food culture has sprung up around the wine industry, which is completely natural of course, and includes wine bottle sculptures!
A beautiful collection of photos featuring the colour pink from Travels Through My Lens. Travel has such a lovely collection of photos on her blog; it’s well worth a visit.
A recent communique from the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addiction states that “no amount of alcohol” consumption is healthy and rather is linked to cancer. However, having taken the time to find and read their report, I have to say that their research is limited and the results conflicting, so my opinion is that this warning is a bit over the top.
An Okanagan vineyard.
There is no doubt that alcohol can and does cause many, many problems, but I find this announcement, based as it is on small sample sizes, is sort of temperance-sounding and reminds me of the announcements years ago about barbecued food (among lots of other things) causing cancer.
Almost anything, if taken too far, can be a health risk. I like a good glass of wine, pairing it with meals and adding it to my cooking. Rightly or wrongly, my very French father (my parents had wine with dinner almost every evening) insisted that we children have a tiny glass (shot glass size) of wine with dinner; I was raised with wine (especially red) as a natural and delicious accompaniment to food.
As a result, I was never much interested in the teenage drunks that many of my friends indulged in; I found that whole idea silly and boring. So I think my father had the right idea. Alcohol wasn’t a mystery and it never became a problem.
A good bottle of Okanagan red.
I’m not going to change my consumption. I live in wine country and love finding great bottles for our cellar. Planning good food and picking the right complimentary wine to go with it is fun and adds to my enjoyment of the meal.
The Okanagan wineries have been very, very busy with harvesting and a careful monitoring of temperatures and heat units. This winery near Osoyoos was in the middle of some observation, likely regarding the progress of this particular field.
In the Net! - Pictures and Stories of Life 